Retting tank



1,621, 5 March 22, D.. E DE LAPE l 6 8 RETTNG TANK Filed Nov. l, 1924Y 2Sheeizs-Sheel 1 abtouws March 22,1927. 1,621,658

I D. E. DE LAPE KETTING TANK Filed Nov. l, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CULD iHor sfi f/ if Q Z4 l n In. y 9,-', f 4

Patented Mar. 2.2, 1927.

UNHTED STATES DAVID EARL :DE LAPE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RETTING TANK.

Application led November 1, 1924. Serial No. 747,248.

This invention relates to retting tanks and has for its object theprovision of a device for retting fibrous plants, either by treating theplants with heated liquors or by a prolonged maceration in cool or coldliquors with the bacteria process, the device being capable of not onlyretting fibrous plants but for dyeing loose fibers or cloth in smallsections or bolts or for drying the fibers and cloths.

A. further object of the invention is the provision of a device whichmay not only be used for retting, degumming or scouring fibers accordingto whether the fibers are '"vegetable, animal or artificial but'may beused in the preparation of all kinds of pulps and for the manufacture ofabsorbent cotton or absorbent materials from China grass, or ramie, orthe same may be employed in all forms of cooking, rinsing, and drainingall forms of material or for softening, or animalizing, orwater-proofing various fibrous cloths and felts as well as forstarching, or the device may be used in all processes on fibers andfabrics where the circulation of liquors are essential and where steamis employed to agitate the hot liquors or compressed air is used foragitating cold liquors.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device in whichfibers are adapted to be treated and in which liquors, are circulated,the liquors being boiled and agitated at the surface whereby the fibersare not unduly macerated and thus destroyed.

This invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description, in view of the accompanying drawingforming a part of the specification; nevertheless it is to be understoodthat the invention is not confined to the disclosure, being susceptibleof such changes and modifications which shall define no materialdeparture from the salient features of the invention as expressed in theappended claims.

ln the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a retting tank constructed inaccordance with the principles of my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section of the device.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section at one end of the rottingtank.

Figure et is a longitudinal section taken along the line 4.-4 of Figure3. Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates a concretefloor of a building which has an elevation as shown at 2 and sloping`sides 3 and gutters 4 so that the water drained from the retting tankwill flow in opposite directions and follow the gutters l which are incommunication with the usual sewerage pipes of the municipality` or thegutters 4 may direct the liquors from the tanks to other tanks wherethey are recovered when desired and for the sake of economy.

The floor 5 of the double tank is elevated above the slope of the sides3 by blocks 6. Secured to the floor and adjacent the longitudinal edgesof the floor are side walls 7 and 8. Running centrally of the tank is apartition 9 which separates the tank into two compartments.

'I he tank or compartments are closed at their ends by walls 12 and 13.Cleats 14 are disposed longitudinally of each compartment and on thefloor of said compartment and adapted to support a screen 15.

The ends of each compartment are provided witli metallic partitionplates 16 which have a flanged portion 17 bent at right angles to theplate and secured to the side Walls of the tank. The lower ends of theplate 16 rest upon the cleats 14. The plates 16 are cut 0E at an angleand are higher at their inner ends adjacent the partition 9 than attheir outer ends where connected to the side walls.

A sheet metal lining or partition 1S eX- tends longitudinally of eachVchamber of the tank and spaced from the opposite faces of the partition9. The lower end of the lining is bent at right angles as shown at 19and secured to the bottom of the fioor by a cleat 111. The lining issecured to the inner ends of the plate 16 and has a projecting portion2O adjacent its top and bent inwardly to form the closure for the endsof the heating chambers 21 adjacent the partition 9. As shown in Figures2 and 3,*the end members terminate at a point adjacent the steam pipe 22of the heating chambers. The upper edges of the metal linings 18terminate at the same level with the inner upper ends of the metalplates 16.

Located above the heating chambers 21 hot water are a pair of oppositelydisposed baes 23 for causing the hot water which is boiling in thechamber 21 to be moved in opposite directions away from the partition 9and over the liquor and materials in the chambers 10 and 11. The steampipes 22 may be of any approved form and have al vertical inlet pipe 24controlled by a valve 25 for admitting steam to the pipe which passesout through the outlet pipe 26 at one end of the tank. Y

The opening in the end member 13 where the outlet pipe 26 passes isprovided with a gland or some form of sealing member 27 to prevent theloss of Huid at this point. The bottom 5 of the chambers adjacent theend and in thecells 28 and 29 which are located between the partitionplate 16 and the end walls 12 and 13, respectively, are provided withopenings 30 closed by a plug 31 which has a long handle 32 so that thesame may be operated above the elevation of the liquors which is shownat 33.

Water is admitted to the tanks 10 and 11 by means of a pipe 34 having auniversal connection at 35 whereby the same may be oscillated forsupplying either tank with water. A valve 36 controls the flow of wa! erthrough the pipe 34. A cold Vwater pipe is connected with a common pipe39 and a ipe 40 is also connected with the pipe, with pipe 40 beingcontrolled by valve 41 and pipe 37 by valve 42 so that either cold orhot water may be admitted to either of the tanks when desired.

Headed lugs or nails 43 are provided at the upper edge of the partition9 for the purpose of receiving the rings 44 secured to an edge of a wirefabric 45 which is adapted to be placed within the tank and held at itsopposite edge by nails or lugs 46 secured in the top of the side walls 6and 7 of the tank. At points between the rings 44 strands of wire fabric45 are secured over other nails 43.

A truck 47 is adapted to be run along the side of either of the tanks 10 and 11 and is adapted to receive the material 48 which has been rettedor cooked or otherwise treated in Vthe compartments 10 and 11.

The operation of my device is as follows:

Liquors are shown in the tank at a certain level and the steam is turnedon so that when it passes through the pipes 22 water in the compartments21 will be boiled and the agitated liquors in the tanks will be forcedupwardly and beneath the baliies 23 and out over the surface of thematerial which treated. The water as it cools passes towards the bottomof the tank through the materials being treated and t-he screen 15 afterthe materials have been placed in either of the liquors. `When it isdesired to remove the material from the tanks it is only necessary toremove the inner edges of the wire fabric 45 and elevate the same, asshown in Figure 2, towards the outer walls with the wire fabricbeingheld by the nails at the upper edges of the side walls. lVhen the screenor wire fabric is raised sufiiciently the materials which have beentreated will be dropped into the truck 4'?. llhen it is desired todischarge the liquors the handles 32 are raised and cause the liquors torun through the discharge openings 30 in the bottoni of the tanks.

'lhe construction of the valves or Stoppers 31 and the handles 32 issuch that the handles, being formed of some materia-l which does notreadily absorb heatand projecting above the top of the tank, permits thework men to remove the rubber stopper 31 which is rigidly connected withthe handle 32, without any danger of scalding or burns from a heatedhandle.

ltwill be seen that by mv process the kind and quality of liquorsemployed depends upon the kind of materials treated in the tanks.llilhen the liquors are heated by the steam coils in the heat chamberthe liquor boils over and is projected upon the top of the liquors inthe main portion of the tank and upon the material where the liquorsstill continue to boil. The boiling of the liquors is maintained becauseof the constant circulation of the liquors since the cooler liquorssettle to the bottom of the tank and pass out beneath the lower edges ofthe partition 16 and into the hambers 28 and 29 whence the'l a way backlo the bottoni of the heating chanilie.' and are again heated and causedto boil and again projected by the baille upon the level of the liquorsin the main retting tank.

rlhe pairs of independent tanks which are formed by dividing a largetank with an intermediate wall are placed in batteries along the floorof the luiildingl and with the stea n pipes connected for continuousopera- 'ion of all the tanks, the arrangement being such that 8 hourshifts of workmen are required to operate continuously the series oftanks so that cerfain of the tanks are being discharged while others arebeing filled and while still others are in various processes ofoperation.

it will be seen that by my improved tank any kind ot materials may setreated and Ver desired where a circulation is or liquors are required,and brics or materials may be readily e tanks or may be just as readily1emoved by raisins,Y one end of the wire neti t'or dumping the materalsdirectlyv e The materials. especially vegeable fibers. which are to beretted in the .3, a e maintained in longitudinal alinement since theboiling of the liquors occurs at the surface and does not disturb thelibers. Il' the liquors were boiled and forced up through the fibers thesaine would be agitated and disturbed and their usefulness greatlydestroyed or impaired by their agitation. My improved device preventsany disturbance ot' the libers because of the tact that the ebullitionof the liquors is maintained at a point which is liever' less than theheight ot' the outer ends ot the plates 16.

It must be borne in mind that an important feature of the invention isthe fact that while the surface ol' the liquor in the tank receives theboiling liquor directed by the baille 23 i'rom the restricted heatingspaces or chambers 21, the liquor in the tank is never in a. state ofagitationso that it would cause a disturbance in the fiber and thereforeruin the same. The boiling liquor directed by the baliles 23 travels ina horizontal plane towards the outer walls of the tank. The liquorsdescend by gravity through the libers 48 and due to the variationbetween the temperature oi? the upper and lower sur-laces ot the liquorthe fibers are maintained in a floating position between the upper andlower portions oi the liquor and spaced from the top and bottomsurfaces. The treatment of the tibers'by this method and apparat-us issuch that the fibers will be maintained in substantially the position inwhich they were placed in the tank so that when they are removed theywill not be in a tangled and worthless condition.

The apparatus and the process may be applied 'for bleaching andcarbonizing ot tibers or cloths or for cooking any and all materialswhether in containers or in bulk and where it is necessary to do suchcooking or boiling without disturbing or disarranging the substances.rlfhe device may be employed for sterilizing milk in containers Whethertaken singly or in the aggregate; for laundering or cleaning cloths orloose cotton, jute, hemp, silk, wool, flax or any and all materials thatare commonly laundered, degummed or pulped; and also for sterilizinginstrument-s, tools or other objects in small quantities or in bulk. Thedevice also may be used ior degumming cotton or other *aste or lintersand for stripping, that is removing dyes, from colore( waste, rags orshoddy.

Then the plugs or valves 31 are removed the liquors in chambers 28 and29 will im mediately discharge therefrom and will iall more rapidly insaid chambers than in the tanks per se or in other words in the portionsof the tanks delined by the end walls 16, partitions 18 and the sidewalls T or 8.

`What I claim is:

l. A retting tank having a bottom, end mid side walls, partitions spaced.trom the end walls, a partition spaced from one side wall andterminating` short ot the upper end of said side wall, abal'lle locatedabove the last mentioned partition, and heating coils located betweenthe last mentioned partition and the adjacent side wall for heatingliquor in the tank for causing the same to boil over and be dischargedover the edge of said partition and into the main body ot the tank, andmeans connecting said partition at the ends thereof to an adjacent sidewall, said means terminating short of the bottom of the tank Jor placingthe heating chamber in communication with the tank.

j 2. ik retting tank having bottom, end and side walls, partitionsspaced from the end walls, a partition spaced from one side wall andterminating short of the upper end of said side wall, a baille locatedabove the last mentioned partition, heating coils located between thelast mentioned partition and the adjacent side wall for heating liquorin the tank for causing the saine to boil over and be discharged overthe edge of said partition and into the main body of the tank, and barson` the bottom of the tank adapted to maintain the tiret mentionedpartitions elevated above said bottom, and means connecting saidpartition at the ends thereof to an adjacent side wall, said mea-nsterminating short ol the bottom of the tank for plac-` ing the lieatingchamber in communication with the tank.

3. A ret-ting` tank having a bottom, end and side walls, partitionsspaced lrom the end walls, a partition spaced from one side wall andterminating short olf the upper end oi said side wall, a baille locatedabove the last mentioned partition, heating coils located between thelast mentioned partition and the adjacent side Wall for heating liquorin the tank for causing the same to boil over and be discharged over theedge of said partition and into the main body of the tank, thefirstmentioned partition plates adjacent the ends of the tank having`one of their ends secured to the side wall while the other end isconnected with the last mentioned partition.

4. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side Walls, partitions spacedfrom the end walls, a partition spaced. :trom one side wall andterminating short of the upper end ot said side wall, a baille locatedabove the last mentioned partition, heating coils loated between thelast mentioned partition and the adjacent side wall iter heating liquorin the tank for causing the same to boil over and be discharged over theedge oi" said partition and into the main body of the tank, the lirstmentioned partition plates adjacent the ends ot the tank having one oftheir ends secured to the side wall while the other end connected withthe last mentioned partition, the last mentioned partition being securedto the bottom ot the tank.

5. A, retting tank having a bottom, end

and side Walls, heating chamber in said tank said tank adapted to bepartially filled with liquor with the heating chamber' open atits bottomto the liquors in the tank, a heating means in the heating chamber forcausing ebullition of the liquors in the heating chamber, and meansconnected with the heating chamber for causing the boiling` liquors tobe projected upon the surface of' the liquors Ithe tank wherebyebullition of the liquors is maintained at the surface of the liquors inthe tank, and means connecting said partition at the ends thereof to anadjacent side wal-, said means terminating short of thev bottom of thetank for placing the heating chamcer in communication with the tank.

G. retting tanlr having a bottoni, end

and side n'alls, a heating chamber in said tank, said tank adapted to bepartially filled with liquor with the ting chamber' o ien at its bottomto the piors in the tank, a heating means in the heating chamber forcausing ebuhition of the liquors in the heating chamber, and ineensconnected with the heating chamber for causing the boiling liquors to beYprojected upon the surface of the liquors in the tank wherebyebullition of the liquors il; maintained at the surface of the liquorsin the tank, and a screen located abore the bottom of the tank, andmeans connecting said partition at the ends thereof to an adjacent sideWall, said means terminating short of the bottom of the tank for placingthe heating chamber in coinmnnication with the tank. Y 7. Il. retting`tank having a bottom, end and side Walls, a heat-ingchamber in saidtank, said tank adapted to be partially filled with liquor with theheating chamber open at its bottoni to the liquors in the tank, aheating' means in the heating chamber for causing` ebullition of theliquors in the heating chamber', and means connected with the heatingchamber for. causing the boiling liquors to be projected upon thesurface of the liquors in the tank W iereby ebullition of the liquors ismaintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, a screen locatedabove the bottom of the tank, a. flexible. carrier adapted to beremovably connected with the opposite side Wall of the tank whereby Whenone side edge of the flexible member is elevated the materims in the.tank Will be raised and disc iargcd from said tank.

8. A retting tank having a bottoni, end and side Walls, a heatingchamber in said tank, said tank adapted to be partially hlled withliquor with the heating chamber open at its bottom to the liquors in thetank, a heating means in the heating chamber for causing ebullition ofthe liquors in the heating chamber, and means connected with the heatingchamber for causing the boiling liquors to be projected upon the surfaceof the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquors ismaintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, and partitionsspaced from the end Walls and forming discharge chambers at the ends ofthe tank.

9. A retting tank having abottom, end and sidewalls, a heating chamberin said tank, said tank adapted t0 be partially filled Wit-h liquor withthe heating chamber open at its bottom to the liquors in the tank, aheating means in the heating chamber for causing ebullition of theliquors in the heating chamber, and means connected with the heatingchamber for causing the boiling liquors to be projected upon the surfaceof the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquors ismaintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, partitions spacedfrom the end Walls and forming discharge chambers at the ends of thetank, the top edges of said partitions being inclined at an angle to thehorizontal so that foreign mat-- ter floating upon the liquors will beVdischarged across the louer ends of the partitions into the dischargechamber.

10. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side Walls, a heatingchamber in said tank, said tank adapted to be partially filled withliquor with the heat-ino' chamber open at its bottom to the liquors inthe tank, a heating means in the heating chamber for causing ebullitionof the liquors in the heating chamber, and means connected with theheating chamber for causing` the boiling liquors to be projected uponthe surface of the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquorsis maintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, partitionsspaced from the end Walls and forming discharge chambers at the ends ofthe tank, the top edges of said partitions being inclined at an angle tothe horizontal so that foreign matter Heating upon the liquors will bedischarged across the lower ends of the partitions into the dischargechamber, the highest portion of the partition being located adjacent theheating chamber so that the foreign matter is discharged adjacent a sideWall which is remote from the heating chamber.

11. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side Walls, a heating`chamber in said tank, said tank adapted to be partially filled withliquor with the heating chamber open at its bottom to the liquors in thetank, a heating means in the heatingl chamber for causing ebullition ofthe liquors in the heating chamber, and means connected With the heatingcha nber for causing` the boiling liquors to be projected upon thesurface of the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquors ismaintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, said heatingchamber being located adjacent one side Wall, and partitions connectedwith the outer Wall of the heating chamber extending to the oppositeside wall of the tank and rigidly connected therewith, the top edges ofthe partitions decreasing in height from the heating chamber to theremotely located side walls.

l2. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side walls, a heatingchamber in said tank, said tank adapted to be partially filled withliquor with the heating chamber open at its bottom to the liquors in thetank, av heating means in the heating chamber for causing ebullition o'tthe liquors in the heating chamber, and means connected with the heatingchamber for causing the boiling liquors to be projected upon the surfaceof the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquors ismaintained at the surface Ot the liquors in the tank, said heatingchamber being` located adjacent one side wall, and partitions connectedwith the outer wall of the heating chamber extending to the oppositeside wall ot the tank and rigidly connected therewith, the top edges ofthe par titions decreasing in height from the heating chamber to theremotely located side walls, a screen located above the bottom of thetank and extending between the heating chamber and the remotely locatedside wall and the partitions at the ends of the tank.

13. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side walls, partitionsspaced from the end walls to form discharge chambers, a partition spacedfrom one side Wall and connected with said wall to form an enclosingheating chamber with the end walls having an opening for placing theheating chamber in communication with the tank, a bae located above theheating chamber for causing liquor which is heated in the chamber to bedischarged upon the surface of the liquor in the tank, the bottom of thedischarge chambers being provided with openings for discharging thespent liquors, and plugs for closing said openings provided with handlesprojecting above the top of the tanks.

14. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side walls, an intermediatewall for dividing the tank in two independent tanks, partitionsconnected with opposite sides of the intermediate wall to form heatingchambers which are open at the top and at the bottom ot the end walls,partitions spaced from the end walls of each independent tank andconnected with the outer wall of each heating chamber and having itsother end connected with the side walls of the tank to term dischargechambers at each end of the independent tank, means cooperativelyconnected for heating the liquors in each of the heating chambers, saidpartitions adjacent the ends of the tanks being spaced from the bottomsof said tanks, and screens spaced from the bottom of the tanks and inhorizontal alinement with the lower edges of said partitions.

DAVID EARL DE LAPE.

